A Bears Tale
by carissima
Summary: Nathan and Haley have just moved into their very first home. Haley says it needs a little fixing up. Brooke thinks it needs a lot of fixing up, and she's just the person to help. [BH]


**AN: Okay, I've never written something like this before, so be nice! This entire story is for Lizzie, because she wanted it and because she's so awesome, she deserves an entire story dedicated to her.  
**

"Tell us again!" "Oh, please tell us the story again!" "Waaaaffles! Pleeeease!"

Smiling indulgently, the old bear settled himself against the soft blue cotton pillow and looked over his eager audience.

"You can't possibly want to hear that story _again_," he teased gently as he readjusted his newly acquired glasses. His eyesight wasn't what it used to be, he sighed with regret.

"You know we do!" a little voice squeaked.

Peering over the edge of the bed, Waffles caught sight of little Princess Brooke grinning up at him. Holding out his hand, and with the help of a few others, he managed to pull her up to sit next to him on the soft bed.

"You heard this story yesterday," he reminded her with a chuckle. "Wouldn't you rather hear another one?"

"No!" she cried most seriously. "I want to hear about Mama Brooke and Aunt Haley!"

"Well, there are lots of stories I could tell you about Brooke and Haley," Mr. Waffles reminded her. "Are you sure you want to hear _this_ one?"

"It's my favorite," Princess Brooke whispered anxiously in his ear as she played with her pink dress nervously. "Please tell it?"

"I'll tell it," he reassured her with a pat on her hand. "Who else wants to hear it?"

He watched with amusement as dozens of faces appeared, scrambling up the bed sheets to join them. Since Brooke had come back to Tree Hill to live, their little nursery had almost tripled in population. He adored her, and loved having more company in their little home, but he wasn't sure Nathan agreed. Grinning, he remembered the look on Nathan's face when Brooke brought Princess Brooke over for the baby. That was the start of Nathan's campaign to make the nursery more masculine. Little did he know that Optimus Prime had a crush on Spiderman, and that the crush was reciprocated. But that wasn't his story to tell.

* * *

Casting his old eyes around the nursery from his position on the bed, Mr. Waffles let himself be taken back to the day this particular story started, when this nursery was barely a room with four walls and a cot, and he was the only toy in the room. He'd had mixed feelings about coming to live in the nursery, for he hadn't wanted to leave Haley, but he understood that he had a new person to look after now.

"Our first real home," Haley sighed as she set the last box down in the nursery and sat on it, trying to catch her breath. "Completely ours. No rent, no landlords, no thin walls and loud tenants."

"Haley, we were the loud tenants, remember?" Nathan chuckled as he heaved James onto his shoulders. "Crying baby?"

"He was an angel," Haley argued as she patted his head. "Barely cried at all."

"I think your mother has a bad case of selective memory," Nathan murmured to James.

"I do not," Haley said sharply as she stood up and began unpacking, pulling Mr. Waffles out and tucking him into her arms comfortingly. "I do, however, have super hearing."

"Your super hearing should be telling you that your cell is ringing then," Nathan remarked easily.

"Oh God, where did I put that thing?" Haley ran out of the room, still holding Mr. Waffles, and headed towards the sound, eventually finding it in their kitchen. Their very own kitchen, with it's peeling paint and cupboards that leaned off their hinges.

"Hello?" she answered, out of breath again.

"Hey, Mommy!" Brooke's voice came through the cell phone, bringing a smile to Haley.

"Brooke! You've got the worst timing, as usual!" she laughed. "Nathan, James and I have _just_ walked into the new house."

"Sounds like perfect timing to me," Brooke returned, irrepressible as always. "How does it look?"

"Uh …" Haley looked around at the pale green paint that adorned the kitchen walls and the luminous green cupboards that made up her new kitchen. "It needs a little work. But it's all ours, Brooke! Our very own home!"

"I can't wait to see it." Haley heard Brooke sigh softly and frowned. "Does it have a white picket fence and wild roses growing outside?"

"Not exactly," Haley grinned. "More like a broken fence and weeds growing everywhere."

"You have the whole summer to fix it up though," Brooke reminded her. "And speaking of summer …"

Haley waited for her to continue. When the silence stretched to a good minute, Haley blinked twice before it hit her. "Brooke, you'd have to share the nursery with James!"

"Haley, I'd love to come and stay with you! Thank you for the very kind and not at all forced offer," Brooke said, tongue-in-cheek.

"You know I'd love to see you!" Haley exclaimed. "And James misses his favorite God-mother. But are you sure you want to share a room all summer with a crying toddler?"

"No one was more terrible in their twos than I was," Brooke laughed. "If he cries, I'll put on one of your songs and send him back to sleep. I'm used to interrupted nights, Hales. I'm even used to crying males."

"I don't think it's quite the same, Brooke!" she shook her head with wry amusement. "But if you really want to come, then we'd love to have you. When should we expect you?"

"Oh, my flight leaves in half an hour," Brooke said breezily.

"Typical," Haley grinned. "Want me to send Nathan to pick you up?"

"This is why I love you, Hales. My flight should land in about two hours," Brooke said briskly. "And I should probably go find my gate."

"See you in a few hours!" Haley laughed as she ended the cell. "Nathan? We're getting our first guest …"

* * *

Brooke stepped gingerly into the house and looked around with wide eyes. 

"Brooke!" Haley ran towards her, arms outstretched.

"Hey," Brooke flung her arms around the smaller girl and hugged her tight. "You weren't kidding about this place needing a little work, huh?"

"Hey, don't pick on our home!" Haley hit Brooke's arm gently. "It's beautiful!"

"No it isn't, but this little one is!" Brooke bent down to pick up James, who'd crawled towards her, bear in tow. "Hey beautiful!"

James grabbed hold of her hair and pulled.

"Uh, that means he's happy to see you," Haley laughed nervously as Brooke winced.

"He must be really happy to see me then," Brooke said, rubbing her head. "Let's see our room, shall we?"

"It's okay Brooke, I'll carry your bags," Nathan groaned as he walked through the door, carrying three suitcases.

"Thanks Nate!" Brooke called behind her as she followed Haley through the house. She took note of the kitchen, the den and the bathroom before she followed Haley upstairs. She snuck a peak in the master bedroom, decided that she couldn't call a room in that state the Master anything, before walking into the nursery and frowning at the plainness of it.

"We're still unpacking," Haley said a little defensively.

"It's charming," Brooke assured her as she put James in his cot. "Completely charming. Okay … it _will_ be charming when you've unpacked and decorated. And lucky for you, you have the best interior designer this side of … well, everything, staying with you all summer!"

"Brooke, we can't afford to decorate," Haley sighed as she sat down on the same box she'd sat on earlier. "All the money we had saved went into this place. And by saved, I mean all the money Deb gave Nathan that didn't need to go on James."

"All you need is a couple of buckets of paint," Brooke mused as she looked around. "And some wood. I bet Nathan looks hunky with his shirt off, sawing wood."

"Nathan isn't exactly Mr. Handyman, Brooke," Haley pointed out.

"No, but I bet Luke was a regular Handyman, living with Karen," she said slowly, a smile forming on her lips. "And I bet Nathan could follow instructions pretty good."

"You and Luke aren't going to spend the whole summer doing up this house," Haley said firmly. "You're going to enjoy your summer off. School must be pretty tough, huh?"

"School is for term-time, Haley James-Scott. This is play time, and I know how to play!" Brooke clapped her hands together excitedly, laughing as James mimicked her. "See, your son knows it's a good idea too. He wants a pretty nursery with bright colors and lots of toys to throw around."

"If you're determined, and you can do it on the smallest of budgets …" Haley paused and considered Brooke's happy face, "then go for it."

"Yay!" Brooke jumped up and down excitedly.

"But! You have to run through colors with me," Haley said firmly. "Nothing too crazy."

"Haley! This is your first home, I wouldn't do anything to it that I wouldn't do to my own home," Brooke promised sweetly.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Haley groaned. "Look, Brooke. Just remember my wedding dress, okay? No halos, no frills, just simple and beautiful."

"No worries, best friend!" Brooke grinned. "I've got it all under control."

* * *

Mr. Waffles paused to look at his captive audience, grinning as he anticipated the rest of the story.

"Oh, carry on Mr. Waffles!" Baby Elephant trumpeted, his blue ears waggling in excitement.

"Yes, please Mr. Waffles!" Princess Brooke looked up at him, her eyes shining.

"Okay then," Mr. Waffles adjusted his glasses once more and continued …


End file.
